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62-476: SR 193 begins at an intersection with SR 7 (Leesburg Pike) in Dranesville. The state highway heads east as a two-lane undivided road and passes between many of the affluent residential subdivisions of Great Falls. After passing through the village center of Great Falls at Walker Road, SR 193 turns east-southeast and follows the edge of Great Falls Park . The state highway features many sharp curves as it drops into

124-521: A person or event, though unlike a National Historical Site, may or may not be placed at a specific historical location. Several national memorials are on the National Mall , such as the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial . National seashores and national lakeshores offer preservation of the national coast line, while supporting water–based recreation. Cape Hatteras National Seashore

186-528: A special resource study of a site to determine its national significance and suitability to be part of the National Park System. The NPS uses over 20 different titles for the park units it manages, including national park and national monument . National parks preserve nationally and globally significant scenic areas and nature reserves. National monuments preserve a single unique cultural or natural feature. Devils Tower National Monument

248-658: Is New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve at 1,164,025 acres (4711 km ). The smallest is Benjamin Franklin National Memorial at less than 0.01 acres (40 m ). While there are laws generally covering all units of the National Park System, they are subject to management policies of individual pieces of authorizing legislation or, in the case of national monuments created under the Antiquities Act , Executive Order . For example, because of provisions within their enabling legislation, Congaree National Park

310-518: Is Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve , Alaska. At 13,200,000 acres (53,000 km ), it is over 16 percent of the entire system. The smallest unit in the system is Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial , Pennsylvania , at 0.02 acres (80 m ). In addition to administering its units and other properties, the NPS also provides technical and financial assistance to several affiliated areas authorized by Congress. The largest affiliated area

372-482: Is almost entirely a wilderness area devoid of development, yet Yosemite allows unique developments such as the Badger Pass Ski Area and the O'Shaughnessy Dam within its boundaries. Such irregularities would not be found in other parks unless specifically provided for with exceptions by the legislation that created them. Most NPS units have been established by an act of Congress, with the president confirming

434-636: Is an agency of the United States federal government , within the US Department of the Interior . The service manages all national parks ; most national monuments ; and other natural, historical, and recreational properties, with various title designations. The United States Congress created the agency on August 25, 1916, through the National Park Service Organic Act . Its headquarters

496-580: Is approximately 20- to 24-feet wide within a 50- to 60-foot-wide right-of-way as built in 1813–1827. A crowned and graduated stone highway, constructed according to a modified Tresaguet system, the Georgetown Pike surpassed the standards of the enabling legislation of both the U. S. Congress and the Assembly of Virginia. John Mason, Jr., president of the Falls Bridge Turnpike Company, wrote to

558-432: Is essential to a National Park Service that is science-informed at all organizational levels and able to respond with contemporary strategies for resource management and ultimately park stewardship." The "Revisiting Leopold" report mentioned climate change three times and "climate refugia" once, but it did not prescribe or offer any management tactics that could help parks managers with the problems of climate change. Hence,

620-569: Is in Washington, D.C. , within the main headquarters of the Department of the Interior. The NPS employs about 20,000 people in 431 units covering over 85 million acres (0.34 million km ) in all 50 states , the District of Columbia, and US territories . In 2019, the service had more than 279,000 volunteers. The agency is charged with preserving the ecological and historical integrity of

682-404: Is increasingly untenable, presenting practical and philosophical challenges for managers. As formerly familiar ecological conditions continue to change, bringing novelty, surprise, and uncertainty, natural resource managers require a new, shared approach to make conservation decisions.... The RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) decision framework has emerged over the past decade as a simple tool that captures

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744-489: Is not a complicated site. National historical parks are larger areas with more complex subjects. Historic sites may also be protected in other unit types. National military parks , battlefield parks , battlefield sites , and battlefields preserve areas associated with military history. The different designations reflect the complexity of the event and the site. Many of the sites preserve important Revolutionary War battles and Civil War battlefields. Military parks are

806-550: The Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad and its successor, the Washington and Old Dominion Railway , operated an amusement park ( trolley park ) at the falls. Located at the end of an electric trolley line that began in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. , the park contained picnic grounds, a dance pavilion, and a carousel . In the evenings, a searchlight illuminated the falls. After the railroad went into receivership in 1935 and

868-691: The National Wilderness Preservation System , which consists of federally managed lands that are of a pristine condition, established by the Wilderness Act (Public Law 88-577) in 1964. The National Wilderness Preservation System originally created hundreds of wilderness zones within already protected federally administered property, consisting of over 9 million acres (36,000 km ). Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) began with Executive Order 13158 in May 2000, when official MPAs were established for

930-831: The 2021 report specific to the need for climate adaptation : "Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD): A Framework for the 21st-century Natural Resource Manager." This "Natural Resource Report" has ten authors. Among them are four associated with the National Park Service, three with the US Fish and Wildlife Service , and two with the US Geological Survey — all of which are government agencies within the US Department of Interior. The report's Executive Summary, points to "intensifying global change." "... The convention of using baseline conditions to define goals for today's resource management

992-484: The Board of Public Works in 1820 that the roadbed was "paved with large stone, closely fitted together, 12 inches deep in the centre, falling off to 6 inches on the sides, and covered with broken stone 6 inches deep from side to side; making 18 inches stone in the centre, and twelve inches on the sides; the whole is covered with sand, gravel or clay, as was found most convenient."1 This substantial method of construction has served

1054-568: The Georgetown Pike continued through the District of Columbia's Alexandria County (now Arlington County, Virginia ) to the banks of the Potomac. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The listing describes Georgetown Pike as located in both Fairfax and Arlington Counties, Virginia. Beginning at the boundary of the District of Columbia and Arlington County at Chain Bridge on

1116-680: The Great Falls line was abandoned, the Park was leased by the receivership to a series of concessionaires. In January 1953, the Park was bought from the receivership by the Fairfax Park Authority using funds set aside to purchase right-of-way for the George Washington Memorial Parkway . The George Washington Memorial Parkway was developed to ensure the easy linkage of George Washington's most visited places. Great Falls Park

1178-573: The Interior Stewart Udall . This report came to be referred to in later years by its chairman and principal author, A. Starker Leopold . The Leopold Report was just fourteen pages in length, but it set forth ecosystem management recommendations that would guide parks policy until it was revisited in 2012. The Leopold Report was the first concrete plan for managing park visitors and ecosystems under unified principles. Park management issues and controversies addressed in this report included

1240-487: The Interior bureau or program. The NPS budget is divided into two primary areas, discretionary and mandatory spending. Within each of these areas, there are numerous specific purposes to which Congress directs the services activities. The NPS budget includes discretionary spending which is broken out into two portions: the direct operations of the National Parks and the special initiatives. Listed separately are

1302-529: The NPS could not meet. In 1951, Conrad Wirth became director of the NPS and began to bring park facilities up to the standards that the public was expecting. In 1952, with the support of President Dwight D. Eisenhower , Wirth began Mission 66 , a ten-year effort to upgrade and expand park facilities for the 50th anniversary of the Park Service. New parks were added to preserve unique resources and existing park facilities were upgraded and expanded. In 1966, as

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1364-528: The National Park Service, which have a wide variety of titles or designations. The system as a whole is considered to be a national treasure of the United States, and some of the more famous national parks and monuments are sometimes referred to as " crown jewels ". The system encompasses approximately 85.1 million acres (0.344 million km ), of which 2.6 million acres (0.011 million km ) remain in private ownership. The largest unit

1426-543: The Park Service turned 50 years old, emphasis began to turn from just saving great and wonderful scenery and unique natural features to making parks accessible to the public. Director George Hartzog began the process with the creation of the National Lakeshores and then National Recreation Areas . A 1963 report titled "Wildlife Management in the National Parks" was prepared by a five-member advisory board on Wildlife Management, appointed by United States Secretary of

1488-486: The Pike over Difficult Run. Though this bridge is not extant, it was described by Mason as "220 feet long, and 20 feet wide; it stands on two large stone abutments, and three stone piers 18 feet high; is further supported by three ranges of chains, extending from end to end, resting on the stone piers; and has supports of strong upright timbers between the piers where necessary." From 1940 to 1963, Georgetown Pike's eastern terminus

1550-401: The action by signing the act into law. The exception, under the Antiquities Act , allows the president to designate and protect areas as national monuments by executive order. Regardless of the method used, all parks are to be of national importance. A potential park should meet all four of the following standards: Before creation of a new unit, Congress typically directs the NPS to conduct

1612-483: The canal locks. Stonemason marks found on the stones are unique to each artisan and are identical to some found in foundation stones of the White House and the U.S. Capitol . During the construction of the canal, blasting powder , which at the time was essentially gunpowder , was used to blast through solid rocks. This is one of the first known examples of blasting powder being used for engineering purposes anywhere in

1674-524: The concession-run campgrounds (1.42 million). In 2019, the NPS had an annual budget of $ 4.085 billion and an estimated $ 12 billion maintenance backlog. On August 4, 2020, the Great American Outdoors Act was signed into law reducing the $ 12 billion maintenance backlog by $ 9.5 billion over a 5-year period beginning in FY 2021. As of 2022, the NPS had the largest budget allocation of any Department of

1736-541: The context of the natural terrain to the extent possible. An original road bridge with stone and brick viaduct at Bull Neck Run, and a massive stone retaining wall at Pimmit Run in Arlington County are notable survivors. John Templeman, builder of the Potomac Chain Bridge in 1808, served as superintendent of the road from December 1, 1817, to April 30, 1818. He designed and built an additional chain bridge to carry

1798-415: The creation of the NPS. On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act that mandated the agency "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations". Mather became the first director of

1860-594: The difficulties of managing elk populations in Yellowstone National Park and how "overprotection from natural ground fires" in California's Sequoia National Park , Kings Canyon National Park , and Yosemite National Park had begun to threaten groves of Giant Sequoia with catastrophic wildfires. The report also established a historical baseline that read, "The goal of managing the national parks and monuments should be to preserve, or where necessary to recreate,

1922-413: The ecologic scene as viewed by the first European visitors." This baseline would guide ecological restoration in national parks until a climate change adaptation policy, "Resist-Adapt-Direct", was established in 2021. National Parks director Jonathan Jarvis charged the twelve-member NPS Advisory Board Science Committee to take a fresh look at the ecological issues and make recommendations for updating

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1984-647: The entire decision space for responding to ecosystems facing the potential for rapid, irreversible ecological change." Here, the iconic species of Joshua Tree National Park is a leading example. The three RAD options are: The "Resist-Accept-Direct" Framework is first described in a July 2020 paper published in Fisheries Eighteen researchers from federal and state agencies and universities collaborated in this effort, which included short case studies of where and how this framework has already been applied. The National Park System includes all properties managed by

2046-404: The first time. The initial listing of U.S. areas was presented in 2010, consisting of areas already set aside under other legislation. The NPS has 19 park units designated as MPAs. The National Park System received over 325 million recreation visits in 2023. Park visitation grew 64 percent between 1979 and 2015. The 10 most-visited units of the National Park System handle around 30 percent of

2108-485: The most popular areas do charge entrance fees. Fees vary site to site and are charged either on a per-vehicle or per-person basis, with most passes valid for 7 days. The America the Beautiful Pass series waives the per-vehicle fee or per-person fee for the holder and up to 3 other adults (children age 15 and younger are admitted for free at most sites). Annual passes for single areas are also available for those who visit

2170-656: The newly formed NPS. On March 3, 1933, President Herbert Hoover signed the Reorganization Act of 1933. The act gave the president the authority to transfer national monuments from one governmental department to another. Later that summer, new president Franklin D. Roosevelt made use of this power after NPS Deputy Director Horace M. Albright suggested that the NPS, rather than the War Department , should manage historic American Civil War sites. President Roosevelt agreed and issued two executive orders to implement

2232-553: The original Leopold Report. The committee published their 23-page report in 2012, titled, "Revisiting Leopold: Resource Stewardship in the National Parks". The report recommended that parks leadership "manage for change while confronting uncertainty." "... New and emerging scientific disciplines — including conservation biology, global change science, and genomics — along with new technological tools like high-resolution remote sensing can provide significant information for constructing contemporary tactics for NPS stewardship. This knowledge

2294-400: The overall visits. The top 10 percent of parks (43) handle over 64 percent of all visits, leaving the remaining more than 380 units to accommodate around 36 percent of visits. (Note that only 380 sites recorded visitors during 2021 due to COVID-19-related closures). Most areas of the National Park System do not charge entrance fees and are completely supported by tax dollars, although some of

2356-586: The park is a disconnected but integral part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway . The Great Falls of the Potomac River are near the northern boundary of the park, as are the remains of the Patowmack Canal , the first canal in the United States that used locks to raise and lower boats. Native American petroglyphs have been discovered within the park on cliffs overlooking Difficult Run. The Patowmack Canal, which George Washington partially funded,

2418-557: The park. The falls total 76 feet (20 m) over a series of major cascades . The Great Falls are rated Class 5-6 Whitewater according to the International Scale of River Difficulty. The first kayaker to run them was Tom McEwan in 1975, but only since the early 1990s have the Falls been a popular destination for expert whitewater boaters in the DC area. Below the falls, through Mather Gorge,

2480-435: The park. The park is open only during daylight hours. The park has several viewing platforms that provide visitors with vantage points overlooking the falls. The NPS operates a visitor center near the falls. Fifteen miles (24 km) of hiking trails traverse the park and follow a small stream known as Difficult Run . A scenic trail near the river travels upstream from a landing at the mouth of Difficult Run, climbs to

2542-528: The places entrusted to its management and with making them available for public use and enjoyment. Artist George Catlin , during an 1832 trip to the Dakotas, was perhaps the first to suggest the concept of a national park. Indian civilization, wildlife, and wilderness were all in danger, wrote Catlin, unless they could be preserved "by some great protecting policy of government   ... in a magnificent park   ... A nation's Park, containing man and beast, in all

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2604-563: The reorganization. These two executive orders transferred to the NPS all of the War Department's historic sites as well as national monuments that the Department of Agriculture had managed and parks in and around Washington, D.C. that an independent federal office had previously operated. The popularity of the parks after the end of the World War II left them overburdened with demands that

2666-480: The river is rated class 2-3 and has been a very popular kayaking run since the 1960s. Entry into the water above the falls from the Virginia side is illegal. An average of seven drownings per year occur in the Potomac River in the park vicinity, most of them alcohol -related even though consumption of alcoholic beverages is illegal within the park. National Park Service The National Park Service ( NPS )

2728-485: The road well, as it has survived flooding, war, neglect, and adaptation for automobile traffic. The Georgetown Pike is a road built in conformance with the most advanced engineering expertise and construction resources of the early nineteenth century. Men using hand tools and horse-drawn equipment formed the roadbed, clearing, blasting, plowing, scooping, and filling the rough terrain. Stone retaining walls, culverts, arches, and bridges were built where necessary, working within

2790-429: The same site often. Over 15 million visitors spent a night in one of the national park units during 2015. The largest number (3.68 million) were tent campers. The second largest group (3.38 million) stayed in one of the lodges, followed by miscellaneous stays (on boats, group sites—2.15 million). The last three groups of over-night visitors included RV campers (2.26 million), backcountry campers (2.02 million) and users of

2852-425: The site. Big Cypress National Preserve and Big Thicket National Preserve were created in 1974 as the first national preserves. National reserves are similar to national preserves, but the operational authority can be placed with a state or local government. New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve was the first to be established in 1978. National historic sites protect a significant cultural resource that

2914-506: The sites of larger actions, such as Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park , Vicksburg National Military Park , Gettysburg National Military Park , and Shiloh National Military Park —the original four from 1890. Examples of battlefield parks , battlefield sites , and national battlefields include Richmond National Battlefield Park , Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site , and Antietam National Battlefield . National memorials are areas that officially memorialize

2976-552: The south bank of the Potomac River, it extends .4 miles to cross the Fairfax County line, then continues 14 miles in an approximately northwesterly direction to meet the Leesburg Pike near Dranesville in Fairfax County. After beginning the ascent from Chain Bridge, the river is never again visible from the road, although it passes so close to the river at Great Falls that the roar of the water can be heard. The Georgetown Pike roadbed

3038-673: The stream valley of Difficult Run. SR 193 passes through several curves as the highway skirts residential subdivisions, passes the Madeira School , and crosses Bullneck Run and Scott Run. The state highway temporarily expands to a four-lane divided highway around its interchange with I-495 (Capital Beltway) in McLean. After passing Langley High School and Chain Bridge Road, the old alignment of SR 123, SR 193 reaches its eastern terminus at SR 123 (Dolley Madison Boulevard). When first constructed,

3100-567: The top of Mather Gorge and passes the falls, a dam , and a reservoir before ending in Fairfax County's Riverbend Park. Rock climbers frequent the cliffs in Mather Gorge above the Potomac. The park contains a large picnic area and sufficient parking for 600 vehicles . On busy weekends, all the parking may fill up by early in the morning, creating delays and temporary closures lasting up to several hours. The NPS does not permit camping in

3162-451: The wild[ness] and freshness of their nature's beauty!" Yellowstone National Park was created as the first national park in the United States. In 1872, there was no state government to manage it (Wyoming was a U.S. territory at that time), so the federal government managed it directly through the army, including the famed African American Buffalo Soldier units. The movement for an independent agency to oversee these federal lands

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3224-472: The world. The canal was never a profitable enterprise. With the completion of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal on the opposite side of the river, and the oncoming age of railroads , the project was abandoned in 1830. The canal is a Civil Engineering Landmark as well as a Virginia Historic Landmark. Along the trails, the ruins of the small town of Matildaville, Virginia can also be found. Between 1906 and 1932,

3286-487: Was a one-mile (1.6 km) bypass canal that began operating in 1785 to give small barges the opportunity to skirt around the falls and to distribute manufactured goods upstream and raw materials downstream. The park visitor center had the bottom portions of two wooden lock gates from the canal excavated in the 1980s, which can still be found in the park today. The gates survived from at least the 1830s and were found during restoration projects on stonework which were erected for

3348-491: Was a part of the Northern Virginia Parks system until it was transferred to the NPS in 1966. A proposed bridge to span the falls was also considered but, due to a strong lobby to eliminate additional bridges over the Potomac and concerns over environmental impacts, the project was never undertaken. The park continues to provide picnic grounds and a visitor center but the carousel that operated between 1954 and 1972

3410-564: Was at its intersection with Chain Bridge Road, which then continued east along the Pike's alignment to the Potomac. In 1963, Virginia completed the Dolley Madison Boulevard bypass in the McLean area, as an alternative to widening both the existing Chain Bridge Road and Georgetown Pike. John F. Kennedy, who owned the Hickory Hill property at the intersection of the two roads, requested the alignment south of his property. Georgetown Pike

3472-420: Was created in 1937. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore , created in 1966, were the first national lakeshores. National rivers and wild and scenic riverways protect free-flowing streams over their length. The riverways may not be altered with dams, channelization, or other changes. Recreational pursuits are encouraged along the waterways. Ozark National Scenic Riverways

3534-667: Was created in 1968 and consists of two major components: National scenic trails are long-distance trails through some of the most scenic parts of the country. They received official protection in 1968. The Appalachian Trail is the best known. National historic trails commemorate the routes of major historic events. Some of the best known are the Trail of Tears , the Mormon Trail , and the Santa Fe Trail . These trails are administered by several federal agencies. Wilderness areas are part of

3596-554: Was destroyed by a flood caused by Hurricane Agnes . Direct access to the park is usually by way of Georgetown Pike (Virginia Route 193) and Old Dominion Drive. Major highways in the vicinity of the park which provide regional connections include the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) , the Dulles Toll Road (Virginia Route 267) and Leesburg Pike (Virginia Route 7) . There is a $ 20 entrance fee per car for visitors who drive into

3658-504: Was established in 1964. National recreation areas originally were units surrounding reservoirs impounded by dams built by other federal agencies, the first being Lake Mead National Recreation Area . Some national recreation areas are in urban centers, such as Gateway National Recreation Area and Golden Gate National Recreation Area , which encompass significant cultural as well as natural resources. The National Trails System preserves long-distance routes across America. The system

3720-401: Was spearheaded by business magnate and conservationist Stephen Mather . With the help of journalist Robert Sterling Yard , Mather ran a publicity campaign for the Department of the Interior . They wrote numerous articles that praised the scenic and historic qualities of the parks and their possibilities for educational, inspirational, and recreational benefits. This campaign resulted in

3782-550: Was the first in 1906. While the National Park Service holds the most national monuments, a monument may be managed or co-managed by a different entity such as the Bureau of Land Management or the Forest Service . National preserves are for the protection of certain resources and operate similar to many National Parks, but allow limited resource extraction. Activities like hunting, fishing, and some mining may be allowed depending on

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3844-518: Was then extended east along its previous alignment to the new boulevard, which kept the name Chain Bridge Road from there to the Potomac. The entire route is in Fairfax County . Great Falls Park Great Falls Park is a small National Park Service (NPS) site in Virginia , United States . Situated on 800 acres (3.2 km ) along the banks of the Potomac River in northern Fairfax County ,

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